Algeria plans 25 exhibitions this year

‘Country has very little interaction with Pakistan’s business institutions’.

LAHORE: Algeria has underscored the need for exchange of business delegations and sector-specific measures to give a boost to the very low trade volume between Pakistan and Algeria.

During a visit to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Friday, Algerian Ambassador Dr Ahmed Benflis said his country had planned 25 exhibitions this year to attract investors and this would provide a golden opportunity for Pakistani businessmen to enter into deals with their Algerian counterparts.

He said Algeria was planning to send a business delegation to Pakistan in the coming months and also asked the LCCI to arrange a visit of its trade delegation to Algeria to explore trade opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said Algeria was one of the few Islamic countries which had very little interaction with Pakistan’s business institutions and this visit to the LCCI was a step in the right direction.

He said though the two-way trade was too small but in recent years some improvements had been made. Trade between the two sides increased 47% to $43.6 million in 2010 compared to $29.7 million in 2009.

LCCI Senior Vice President Kashif Younis Meher said Muslim countries should consider the idea of establishing common Muslim consumer and common Muslim financial markets.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2012.